The gift of time off

EMPLOYEE VALUES

Few firms help employees balance work and life, experts say

January 11, 2006|By Ieva M. Augstums, the Dallas Morning News

The gift of time off just may be the best company perk yet. At least, Rolando Alvarez thinks so.

The associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Dallas was a bit shocked when he learned that his company was giving him -- and everyone else in the firm across the country -- 10 consecutive days off over the December holidays.

"It really caught me off guard," said Alvarez, recalling a companywide e-mail explaining the end-of-the-year perk. "I work for the best company ever."

At 24, Alvarez is among a generation of under-40 employees who have come to expect more from their employers. The problem is, they don't always get it.

"Generation X and Y want it all, and companies are starting to realize they need to listen," said Jim Bird, president and founder of WorkLifeBalance.com, a training and workplace development firm. "Companies need to realize that work-life balance is not a problem to be solved; it's an ongoing issue that needs to be managed."

"There is no question that companies more and more are realizing that work-life balance and worker-retention type of programs create good culture and are important," said John Challenger, chief executive of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. "Unfortunately, not every company out there is doing it."

But some consistently step up, including PricewaterhouseCoopers, which has been rated among the top companies for working mothers, diversity and overall workplace.